Microsoft is reforming its Windows Phone with an imminent release of a new and improved operating system, the company’s CEO has claimed.

Steve Ballmer said at a press conference in Tokyo that the Windows Phone OS “is now much more global”, and will add “over 500 new features”.

Microsoft will detail improvements to the operating system at a press conference later today.

“We're pushing a different approach to user interface design, an approach in which literally right on the home screen of the Windows Phone, you, our developers, can provide integrated experiences across your own and third-party applications that are alive and vibrant in real-time for our joint customers,” Ballmer said.

Elsewhere in his speech, the Windows boss said he regretted how long it took for Microsoft to release a viable competitor to the iPhone and various Android devices.

“We came to market with Windows Phone about a year later than I wish we had, shame on us,” he said.